• There is a strong desire to create a welcoming Community Center to serve the whole community, engaging adults, mobilizing youth, and invigorating programs that promote both personal, social, and recreational growth. • Design and construct the park with thought toward future flexibility for Owner. • Minimize disruption to the neighborhood and school during construction. • Design that maximizes project amenity delivery based off the grant scope and grant application. Volunteer Goals: Successful bidders should include the following opportunities coordinated by Owner and Gafcon: • Volunteers - If possible, local college students should be involved in developing a landscape design and maintenance plan focused on drought-tolerant landscaping for the Community Park. • Partnerships - If possible, collaborate with The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), Imperial County, on designing and constructing the community garden located next to the Community Center building. Community Center Program Requirements: The Community Center shall be designed and constructed as a central feature of the park and must include the following programmatic elements: • A gymnasium with a multi-sport court, including retractable basketball hoops and flexibility for various indoor recreational activities. • Adequate restroom facilities accessible to both indoor and park users. • Minimum two classrooms suitable for community programming, workshops, and educational use. • Dedicated storage space to accommodate recreation and facility equipment. • A total building footprint ranging between 7,000 and 12,000 square feet. • The building must be designed with the intent and structural capacity for future expansion, to allow for additional program space or amenities as funding becomes available. • Design-build teams should consider both current use needs and long-term adaptability in their approach to architectural layout, building systems, and site planning for the Community Center. In addition, the project must incorporate sustainable techniques as identified and scored in the grant application. These elements will be reviewed during the final inspection: • Bioswale/stormwater retention basins • Water-efficient irrigation • Use of recyclable materials in construction • Drought-tolerant landscaping • Tree planting • Safe and reliable drinking water • Solar panel installation • Replace blight/neighborhood beautification
